Morty's Lair, Early Morning.
Morty sat in his dark throne, brooding over the latest pile of paperwork. The lair was quiet, the only sound was the occasional hum of a malfunctioning laser cannon. Greg entered, visibly excited, holding a large envelope.
Greg
"Your Horrible Majesty, great news! The 'Future Heroes' group has sent their newest recruits. They're here to… well… 'train' under your supervision!"
Morty
"Future Heroes? What kind of nonsense is this?"
Before Greg could respond, the doors to the lair burst open, and in walked a group of children, dressed in colorful superhero costumesone wore a cape that looked like it was about to catch fire, another had a shield bigger than their body, and a third, a small girl, held a massive sword that was too big for her.
Captain Justice puffing out his chest:
"I am Captain Justice! Here to stop your evil schemes!"
Thunder Strike pointing dramatically:
"And I am Thunder Strike, wielder of the mightiest power!"
Dark Slicer swinging her sword around:
"Beware! The Dark Slicer is here to"
Morty interrupting, confused:
"Wait. Wait a second. Are you… Are you all real? Or are you some kind of… joke?"
Greg whispering to Morty:
"Uh, Morty… these are future heroes. You know, the type that have… dramatic speeches, exaggerated powers, and try to save the day by… well… being all 'heroic'."
Morty eyes narrowing:
"They talk like that… on purpose?"
Greg nodding:
"Yep. It's all part of the act. You're going to have to play along, or they'll think you're a failure as their 'mentor'."
Morty frowning, rubbing his temples:
"So I'm… supposed to babysit them?"
Greg looking around nervously:
"Kind of, but… think of it as a game. You need to teach them how to be bad guys. Show them your plans, get them to understand the evil ways… and, uh, make sure they don't press any of the selfdestruct buttons, just in case."
Morty eyes widening:
"Selfdestruct buttons?!"
Greg smiling awkwardly:
"Yeah… you know, for safety."
***
The kids were now sitting in a semicircle in front of Morty, waiting eagerly for their "mentor" to speak. Morty paced back and forth, unsure of how to start. The kids stared at him with wide eyes.
Morty trying to sound imposing:
"Alright, future heroes, I am… Necromortis, the Dark Terror, the… the… uh… Destroyer of Fates! And today, I will teach you how to be evil!"
Captain Justice raising his hand:
"What's the first thing we do, Master Necromortis?"
Morty staring blankly:
"Uh… first, you should, uh, maybe… I don't know… learn to look menacing."
Thunder Strike putting on a pose:
"Like this?"
Morty eye twitching:
"Exactly like that… except, maybe… not so much with the fingerpointing."
Dark Slicer flipping her sword around:
"What about speeches? Should we do dramatic speeches before we fight villains?"
Morty looking perplexed:
"Yes… yes, that's what you do. Speech, then fight… I guess."
Greg whispering:
"Tell them about your plan, Morty. They love plans."
Morty nodding, getting more into it:
"Alright, alright, listen up! Tomorrow, I'm going to… destroy the world! But first, I need to"
Captain Justice interrupting:
"Hold up! What's our hero motivation? We need a reason to stop you!"
Morty pausing, looking confused:
"Reason? Oh, right! You heroes always need some reason to stop me… Okay, okay, I'll give you one: I'm destroying the world because… well, I can. Does that work?"
Thunder Strike nodding seriously:
"Perfect! But… what about the selfdestruct button?"
Morty snapping his head toward Greg:
"Selfdestruct button?!"
Greg whispering quickly:
"Morty, you know the drill! It's for when they get too out of hand. Kids, remember?"
Morty sighing deeply, pulling out a small device and showing it to the group:
"Fine, fine. You see this? This is the selfdestruct button. If any of you gets too… heroic… or if you try to outshine me in the villain department, I'll press this."
Dark Slicer wideeyed:
"Whoa, that's so cool! Can I try it?"
Morty growling:
"Absolutely not. This button stays off limits unless… unless you decide to rebel or something."
Greg smiling nervously:
"Maybe you should start by teaching them some evil laughter, Morty."
Morty grinning as he realizes this might be fun after all:
"Yes! Alright, listen closely, children! The secret to evil laughter is"
Captain Justice interrupting again:
"Are we going to do a montage? Like in the movies?"
Morty pausing, rubbing his temples:
"Ugh, no, we are not doing a montage!"
***
As the day dragged on, Morty tried to teach the kids the ways of villainy, but it was clear that he still didn't fully understand what they expected. At one point, he found himself accidentally explaining the intricate details of his evil plans to them, only to have them excitedly take notes and cheer.
Morty desperately trying to wrap things up:
"Alright, you've learned enough for today. Now go back to your… whatever it is that heroes do!"
Thunder Strike nodding seriously:
"Okay, we'll go prepare for tomorrow's battle! We'll save the world… from your evil!"
Morty shrugging:
"Sure, sure, whatever. Just don't press the selfdestruct button, alright?"
As the kids ran off, Morty slumped into his throne.
Morty muttering to Greg:
"Why do I feel like I just babysat a bunch of tiny, overenthusiastic maniacs?"
Greg grinning:
"That's kind of the idea, Morty."
End of Chapter...